~ Quirky semi-defunct Saskatoon folk rockers.

Planet S review

Every time critics bash somebody’s work, the artist always complains that reviewers don’t understand the amount of effort that goes into creating a piece of art.

Well, the best thing I can say about “404” is that there was certainly a good deal of effort involved in creating this production. The self-proclaimed rock opera (pop extravaganza would be more appropriate) mixes theatre, video, and live music but fails to blend these disciplines effectively.

Terrible sound made it truly hard to understand the play, so here’s a summary. A psychiatric hospital uses an ingenious gimmick to get responses from its catatonic patients: entertainment. Country music and the possibility of love are used as stimuli, but an unnamed resident takes the supposed advances of a fellow patient a little too seriously and threatens to unmask the “clever” device.

The plot can’t stand by itself so it relies heavily on its music, courtesy of The Band Known As Sea Water Bliss. Sometimes reminiscent of the Eagles, sometimes of 10,000 Maniacs, the songs are much better than anything else on stage. To have the patient talking to his love interest through a TV monitor is just corny unless you play the “camp” card (which they didn’t). “404” could have perhaps worked as a straight comedy that didn’t take itself so seriously.

This is the official website of The Band Known As Sea Water Bliss (also known, for Googling purposes, as "The Band Known As Seawater Bliss"), the semi-defunct rock-n-roll combo based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. We released an album in 2006:

Possibly you arrived at this page by following a link related to one of the videos Sea Water Bliss has put online over the years, many of them completely unrelated to the band and its music. You can learn more about these videos and their creator at The Michael A. Charles Online Presence.

If you're still not sure why you're here, you'll want to start by reading the Frequently Asked Questions on the About page, then listening to some of our music on the Songs page. After that, If you're still interested, you can dig into the history of our rock opera 404.